By Dylan Stuntz, American Forests
As the holiday season approaches, here at American Forests we’re featuring some recipes to consider, as well as fun context about the trees behind the food. For this feast feature, we’ve picked pear trees and included a recipe for wine-poached pears, a delicious appetizer or dessert! (This recipe does need to cool for several hours, so this is one delicious dish you won’t want to save for the last minute!)
There are two common types of pear trees: the Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) and the European pear (Pyrus communis). The common ancestor of both is thought to have originated 55 million years ago in western China. After naturally spreading across Asia, the tree was domesticated both in China and in Asia Minor along the Mediterranean Sea, allowing varieties of pear to spread around the globe. China is still the largest worldwide producer of pears, with 70 percent of the annual 25.8 million total tons produced coming from the country, according to FAO.
The Asian pear is sometimes called an apple-pear, because the flesh has a harder texture and occasionally a rounder shape. They are considered to be crisper and sweeter than their European cousins. Cultivation of the pear began 3,000 years ago, with ancient accounts from both China and Japan recording more than 150 different varieties.
Meanwhile, Hellenistic cultures were responsible for the spread and cultivation of the European pear, breeding more and more varieties. The European pear is considered juicier and more buttery than the Asian variety. The ancient Greek bard Homer wrote that “Pears are a gift of God,” while the Roman historian Pliny the Elder detailed the more than 40 varieties the Romans had successfully bred in his writings.
Most pear varieties are deciduous, but certain varieties native to Southeast Asia are evergreen. Trees can grow between 30 to 50 feet in height, often resulting in a tall, narrow crown. The leaves in most varieties are dark green and ovular, alternately arranged along the branches. The tree will flower in the spring, resulting in five-petaled white blossoms.
The edible “flesh” of the pear is not actually the fruit, rather the technical fruit of the plant is the inedible core. A pear is what’s known as a “false fruit,” where the flesh is technically a swollen stem, while the seed-holding core is the fruit.
Spiced Red Wine Poached Pears
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry red wine, such as cabernet or merlot
- ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp. of sugar
- 1 orange, juiced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 strip orange zest (about 1″x3″)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 4 firm, ripe pears
Directions
- In a 4-quart saucepan, combine wine, sugar, orange juice, zest, cinnamon stick and cloves.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- While liquid is simmering, peel pears, leaving stem intact and being careful not to blemish the flesh of the pears. Slice 1/2-inch off the bottom of the pears to create a flat bottom.
- Gently place pears in poaching liquid, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to ensure even color, until pears are cooked but still firm.
- Remove saucepan from flame, uncover and cool with pears upright in pan.
- Gently remove pears from liquid and allow to come to room temperature. Once cool, cover and chill in refrigerator at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Strain liquid, removing orange zest, cinnamon stick and cloves. Reduce by about half over a medium-high flame for 15 minutes, until liquid is thicker and slightly syrupy. Remove from flame and let liquid come to room temperature.
- Drizzle each pear with 2 tablespoons syrup and serve.
A version of this recipe was originally published by Food Network.